In this thread, I want to fold in a Landmark letter that also speaks on this subject of exposing Riverside...
http://rblandmark.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=2180&SectionID=3&SubSectionID=17&S=1
1/16/2007 10:00:00 PM Email this article —ยข Print this article
Letters
Riverside needs inventive solutions
Recently, I was reading an article in the Economist magazine that spoke about small town living. It said that so many small towns in America were having difficulty surviving these days, that many had to be quite inventive in their revitalization strategies. Many of the towns cited as examples were located in Texas and were truly the essence of small-town living.
After reading the article, I began to realize that not one single reference was made about the option of using a TIF. Instead, these towns figured out a way to increase their visibility in the world, increase their street traffic, increase their tourism and revitalize their businesses through creative thinking. Each town capitalized on their most identifiable asset and used it as a draw to increase their visibility to tourists.
One town became the setting for a music festival, drawing on their roots in country and folk music. Another was simply in the path of the African killer bee migration, and now has a huge draw of people that want to experience the thrill of being near that many killer bees. How inventive!
They are now prosperous towns, with summers that swell with tourists.
It seems to me that Riverside has always had the assets that make it an attraction. Olmsted's vision in beautiful landscaping far outweighs any killer bee migrations! A historical landmark status is something extremely special, and certainly has the potential to be a significantly bigger draw than it is.
The word that is used by everyone that I speak to about Riverside is "quaint." That description does not apply to a town with a three-story parking structure located where there were once Victorian homes. "Quaint" refers to a town that capitalizes on its historic status, its charm and its character.
Asking developers to come into this town to build rows of townhomes does nothing to make this a more desirable village. Imagine what kind of marketing could have been accomplished with the initial $137,000 spent on the application process for the TIF to invite unknown development. I feel that this exceptional village could have been managed in a way that promotes its many assets, not in a way that destroys its character and charm bit by bit.
Riverside is the most amazing example of Olmsted's vision extant, and if the village manager's vision had been in place to preserve it, protect it and promote it, we could already be reaping the benefits of a business district that is thriving. Just saying that we care about the historical relevance of Riverside is not enough. It takes a true commitment to our historical landmark status.
That includes preservation and creative foresight, without rolling over for developers who want density and monstrosity of a scale just to make an extra dollar.
It saddens me that our village feels that they are now so desperate for money that they will sacrifice everything that is unique about Riverside, and turn it into just another TIF development that looks like every other one that surrounds us.
What I wouldn't give for killer bees!
Chandra Reynolds
Riverside